Teaching Foreign Languages in the Primary School

The definitive textbook for "Teaching Foreign Languages in the Primary School" shows that language teaching can be both highly effective and immediately enjoyable. The book uses numerous ideas and approaches that are reinforced with activities, methods for developing understanding, assessment techniques, and how to ensure continuity and transition into secondary school. This is the textbook that all primary school language teachers should not be without."Teaching Foreign Languages in the Primary School" advises modern foreign language trainee and qualified teachers on how to teach MFL successfully at primary level. This book offers full information, including sections on: children's ideas about how to learn languages; the current situation of MFL in the UK, Europe and elsewhere; research into second language acquisition (e.g. behaviourist, cognitive and sociocultural perspectives); different approaches to teaching foreign languages (e.g. audio lingualism, communicative language teaching, task-based instruction) the use of games, songs and stories; ways of developing speaking, listening, reading and writing skills; ways of developing intercultural understanding, knowledge about language and language learning strategies; and, assessment, continuity with secondary school, and ways of facilitating transition. Brimming with case studies and tried and tested ideas from a multi lingual language teacher and ITE lecturer, "Teaching Foreign Languages in the Primary School" shows that language teaching at primary level can be both effective and enjoyable - no matter what language the pupils have as their first, and no matter what level the teacher has reached in their own language learning.

Table of Contents:
1. Teaching foreign languages in the primary school: an overview; 2. Case studies of two successful schools; 3. Theories of Second Language Acquisition; 4. Approaches to language teaching; 5. What children say about learning foreign languages; 6. Introducing children to foreign languages; 7. Developing children's listening and speaking skills; 8. Developing children's reading and writing skills; 9. Developing knowledge about language; 10. Developing intercultural competence; 11. Developing language learning strategies; 12. Assessment and transition to secondary school.

About the Author :
Dr Claudine Kirsch is lecturer and MFL coordinator in the Department of Educational Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London.

Review :
"This book fills a significant gap in the literature on early language learning and will appeal to all those with an interest in the field, including practitioners, trainee teachers, advisers and postgraduate research students. It paints a picture of early language learning on a broad canvas, drawing on research data from secondary sources as well as from the author's own studies. The practical focus of the book is underpinned by a sound understanding of the theories behind second language acquisition and pedagogy, and it is this combination which renders it invaluable, and fascinating, reading." - Dr. Amanda Barton, University of Manchester, UK Mention -Book News, November 2008 In her review of this proposal Dr Amanda Barton noted the following selling points: 1) The theoretical background chapters will make useful reading, especially for students on ITT courses 2) Cross-curricular links 3) Chapter 11 on continuity with secondary school is a very welcome addition that has barely been addressed in similar books 4) Excellent to have links to the KS2 Framework underlined for teachers, with whole sections on 'Knowledge about Language' and 'Cultural Understanding' Dr Amanda Barton, Lecturer in Education, Subject Leader PGCE MFL, University of Manchester 'This book is based on a sound view of language learning...[and] reflects the latest implications from research in cognitive linguistics, sociolinguistics and functional linguistics...The author has rich experience of teaching MFL in primary schools and training MFL teachers...In my view the 'cross-curricular links' and 'activities' will be particularly appealing to classroom teachers.' Xiaotang Cheng, Beijing Normal University "Over two thirds of the book focuses on practice rather than principles. This shows that the author is well informed of the needs of primary school teachers, as well as new teachers...The case studies will be very attractive to readers." - Weicheng Zou, Foreign Lanuguages School, East China Normal University Teaching Foreign Languages in the Primary School is designed as a resource for training and practising Modern Foreign Languages (herein language) teachers. The book manages to cover a lot of territory, combining the research literature, case studies and the author’s own experience as a classroom teacher to produce a text which should be highly accessible and appealing to this audience. It also manages to strike an appropriate balance between theory and practice: it introduces the key theories and traditions and encourages teachers to reflect on how theory and beliefs about Second Language Acquisition and pedagogy may inform their own practices. At the same time it provides plenty of practical ideas and examples for them to use in their own classrooms.